Not as it Seems
by Tantalizing Kunoichi
Summary: Sakura is shunned by the village for her different ways, yet they flock to her for their needs. The akatsuki are a group of men who hold all the power in the village. Everyone either fears or greatly respects them. They are mysterious and she wants NOTHING to do with them. Too bad its one-sided... Rated M for violence, and future reasons. Saku/Pein/mada. slight saku/akatsuki.
1. Chapter 1

A rosy haired female was silently traveling through the forest. She was wearing a form-fitting dark green tunic with matching green leggings with worn black leather chaps and a black leather belt with soft black leather boots that went to her calf. Her cloak was made of dark gray mountain wolf pelts, it was wrapped around her shoulders that went down to her calf and was kept together with a sterling silver clasp in the shape of a silver circle, her clan symbol. Underneath the wolf pelts was a black satin silk cloak with the hood over her head. She had a long bow hanging on her shoulders with an ox hide quiver full of swan fletched arrows.

She crept silently, like death itself, through the trees, careful not to make a sound as she followed the game trail. The trail lead deep into the forest, were the villagers have tales of demons and other creatures of dark magic lurk.

Eventually the trail led her to a clearing with several bucks and a few does were grazing. Crouching down low to the ground, she pulled her bow off her shoulders and her left arm reached behind her as her slim fingers wrapped around an arrow shaft, her green amber ring on her ring finger sparkling in the morning sun's rays. Pulling it out, she notched the arrow and pulled its draw string back tight. Taking aim, she aimed her arrow at the largest buck at the center of the clearing. Aiming for its heart, she let loose the arrow and watched as it silently whizzed through the air.

Not waiting for the arrow to make its mark, she quickly grabbed another and let it loose on another unsuspecting deer. Both the deer fell, startling the others into a frenzy. Before they all bolted into the forest she fell another deer, this one a doe. Bouncing up, she walked quickly to the first buck she fell in the center of the clearing and pulled out the arrow, careful to not break it. After doing the same to the other two, she dragged the deer till they were side-by-side and, unhooking the rope that was coiled up on her belt, tied them all together. Once they were tied she grabbed the rope and, with a grunt, walked forward pulling them behind her.

After the first two miles, Sakura's breath was coming out in short puffs. Eventually she finally came across her horse, his white fur glistening in the sun's rays. Putting her thumb and index finger to her mouth she let out an ear splitting whistle causing her horse to rear up and rush forward to greet her.

Smiling, Sakura petted his neck before untying the deer and, making the horse lay down, hefted them one-by-one on the horse before tying them down to prevent them from falling. She then urged the horse back up and walked forward, pulling the reins to have it follow her. She went to a part of the forest where she had her traps set. She walked into the woods a little and stopped at the sight that greeted her.

In one of her traps she had set, a female gray wolf lay dead. With a sad shake of her head, the Rosie haired girl took it out of the trap and before she left the bushes beside her rustled slightly accompanied by a little whine. Curious, she crept closer and moving limbs aside, saw a young light gray wolf cub, not even a month old.

"Awe. Poor little one... I'm terribly sorry for what happened to your mother." A soft smile found its way to her face as the cub cautiously moved forward and rubbed itself against his mother's form. Feeling pity for the thing, Sakura scooped the cub up into her arms and walked back to her horse. Tossing the dead wolf on top of the deer, she held the cub close to her form as she walked back to the village.

As she approached the village the forest became sparser. When the gate came into view, she tucked the cub under her left arm and draped the pelts over it to hide it from the guards at the gate. People here are too superstitious about creatures from the deep forest. '_But that doesn't stop them from buying my game_.' She thought wryly. Passing through, they tipped their head in greeting but otherwise said nothing.

Upon her sight, the villagers moved away, for they did not wish to cross her path. The girl sighed, she did not mind though; it meant that they left her alone except for when they needed her. Hurrying to the back of the village. To the far right corner at the back of the village, a large privacy fence surrounded a medium sized log house, a tanning hut and a couple of sheds and a small barn for her horse. There is also a few large trees' in the area.

She walked over and opened the gate before going back to grab the reins of her horse and pulled him in and shutting the fence back. Once the gate was securely shut and locked, she set the cub on the ground. It sneezed and fell on its behind before looking up at her with scared, confused green eyes. She smiled as she reached down and petted it before grabbing the reins again and leading the horse to the shed closest to the tanning hut. She then grabbed the she wolf and took her inside the shed and set her on a table, stained dark red from its previous guests. Then she went and grabbed the deer and, one-by-one, hung them up on metal hooks that lined the wall.

She turned around and saw that the cub had followed her in the shed and was sneaking around. At an ox skull, the cub tried to growl menacing but only succeeding in making her smile and laugh lightly. She walked out the shed with the cub at her heel and took the reins once again and led the horse to the barn beside the house and took the saddle off before shutting the gate and giving it more hay.

Walking to the smoke house, she went in and looked for a chunk of meat that was still close to being raw. Then she left and handed it to the pup. She grinned as it tore at the meat with a hunger so great she worried that it would get sick. After she was sure that it wouldn't, she went back to the shed and went to a drawer in the back corner and grabbed a set of knives.

Approaching the dead she-wolf, the girl set the knives beside the dead form before selecting the sharpest knife and began to cut and peel the skin off it. When she has successfully removed the hide, she set about the task of butchering it. When she was half way done she heard a loud banging on her fence accompanied with someone yelling for her to hurry and let him in already.

She rolled her eyes as she recognized who it was. She left the shed and walked over to the gate and lifted the latch to open it. A blonde haired male busted through the second the gate gave a little slack.

"Sakura!" he yelled before he tackled her in a tight hug. Struggling to breathe, Sakura petted him on the back as she tried to get out of his iron tight grip.

"Na..rut..o... Can't breathe..." she managed to say as she let go of her and sheepishly laughed.

"Oops... my bad.. heh heh.." He said as he scratched at the back of his head. Smiling, he looked at his best friend and was about to say something when movement behind her caught his eye. Looking behind her he saw a light gray cub hiding behind her legs, pressing himself against her.

Noticing what he was looking at Sakura hurriedly grabbed his arm and yanked him in her yard and shut the gate then slammed him against the fence with her hand over his mouth. Pinning him to the fence, she leaned closer and looked him dead in the eyes. "Say something about him to you-know-who. And I swear I will kill you." Sakura hissed out, causing him to widened his eyes in fear and almost pee his pants. Letting him go, she walked back to finish her business in the shed.

Following her, he tried to wipe the blood of his face from her hands but only smeared it. Naruto went into the shed and his hand shot up to cover his nose from the smell. Looking at the wall he saw three deer hanging on hooks and looked over to the table and saw what was left of a wolf. Once she was finished butchering it, the leftover meat and bones she tossed to the floor and the cub pounced on them with his little tail wagging excitedly as he nibbled on them.

"... Why did you kill the she-wolf for her cub?" Sakura turned around and stared at Naruto incredulously as he gave her a confused look.

"I didn't kill her for the cub. I found her dead in one of my traps and then I found him in a bush beside her. I didn't want him to starve so I brought him with Me." she explained.

Then she swept the butchered meat into a basket and went over to a deer and began to skin it. She tossed the hide on the table on top of the wolf pelt and began to clean it. When she was done she set that meat in another basket and started on the next.

Naruto sat in the chair against the wall and watched Sakura work. _'I wish I could be like you Sakura.' _he thought when he felt something soft brush against his leg. Looking down, he saw that the cub had lain down beside him, his head on his paws as he watched Sakura.

When she was done, Sakura motioned for Naruto to grab the basket of deer meat and follow her. Sakura stacked the hides on top of the wolf meat and left for the smoke house. Naruto watched as she hung the thin strips of meat over a rope that ran the length of the shed (A/N: XD beef jerky!...err..Deer jerky! lol). Then she put up all the rest of the meat, separating the deer from the wolf.

After that she grabbed a bucket and tossed it to Naruto and grabbed herself one, then they both left the yard, the cub following close behind Sakura, to the well in the middle of the village. Many people watched them as they made their way to the well, many of them whispering behind their hands while some pointed to the cub following Sakura.

Sakura stopped when the well came into view, as did Naruto, for at the well was a group of men known as the Akatsuki, that the village either feared or greatly respected, but mostly feared. She checked to make sure that the cub was still with her before walking slowly to the well, bucket in hand and ready to swing it if necessary. When they got closer, the group of men got quiet, watching Sakura and Naruto under close inspection.

The cub flattened his ears and pressed itself against her leg when one of the men looked at it.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in. A bitch and her lackey. Oh and look! She brought us a new target." A silver haired male said with a sadistic grin as he leaned forward to try and grab the cub. As his hand grazed the cub's ear, it yelped and hid behind Sakura as she slapped his hand away. The male raised an eye brow at her. "Oi. What the fuck, bitch did you just touch me? I ought to punish you for that!" He said, and then a grin found its way to his face as he grabbed her arm and yanked her forward onto his lap. His grin widened as he took in what she was wearing.

The cub started growling loudly when the male grabbed Sakura, but then he yelped as a brunette male picked him up by the scruff of the neck. "Hmm... Still young. His pelt would sell for a high price."

Sakura, enraged by both the males, reached her arm down to her boots and slipped her hand in them as her fingers wrapped around the hilt of a knife. The silver haired male was busy grinning and wiggling his eye brows at his friends while his hand groped her ass. Then, without warning, Sakura yanked her hand out of the boot and stabbed him in the shoulder and jumped away from him, taking the knife with her and slashing it at the brunette to grab her cub.

"WHAT THE FUCK! You damned bitch. How fucking dare you stab me!" The silver haired male cursed as he applied pressure to his shoulder. The brunette just shrugged and dropped the cub and went to stand with the others away from the well.

"If you... _Gentlemen_ don't mind, we're getting our water and then leaving." Sakura said with venom in her voice, knife poised and ready as Naruto rushed forwarded with both buckets. Sakura watched them closely as Naruto ran back to her, both buckets filled with water. As they both backed away, Sakura noticed the curious look in the eyes of the leader of the group. His grey ringed eyes watching her with interest before they went out of site. She put her knife away and bent down to pick up the cub and wrapped the black silk cloak around it. The young cub looked up at her and licked her chin then his ears perked up and looked all around at the people watching them.

She looked down at the cub and smiled at him, "I guess the whole town knows about you now." She said to the cub. His mint green eyes looked up at her with a tilt of his head.

"Ne, Sakura why do you need the water anyways?" Naruto asked as he was careful not to slush the water.

"It's so I can clean the skins Naruto. So they don't rot." She said matter of factly as the Gates to her home came closer to their view. Opening the gates she set the cub down and took the buckets from Naruto as he gazed at her quizzically. She laughed at his expression, "Go Naruto, I think Hinata is off from the infirmary." She said and his face lit up in a bright blush before hugging her and leaving.

She shook her head and laughed a little as she shut the gate with her foot and walked to the shed beside the smoke house where she had the basket set out from the earlier skinning. The cub trotted over to the bone he had and started to happily gnaw at it, his small tail wagging the entire time. Sakura smiled at him before laying out the wolf hide carefully, so that she doesn't ruin the fur. She cleaned the pelt and set it on a table to cure. Then she started to clean the deer skins, scraping off the hair and bit and pieces of meat still attached. Splashing water on it to keep it cleaned. The ground under her was soaked and covered in hair and chunks of meat when she was done. Then stretched out the hides and set them out to tan and had the pelt stretched out also.

Sweat was starting to form at her brow when she was finished and cleaned everything. She looked up and saw that it wouldn't be long before the sun set. Sakura sniffed her arm and quickly turned away.

"Phew, I don't know about you pup but I smell." She joked as she got the two empty buckets again and walked to the gate. The cub saw her walking away from him and quickly got up and ran to her as fast as his stubby legs could carry him before she shut the gate.

She walked back to the well and was relieved when those men weren't there. She filled up her buckets and made her way back home. The entire time the cub right behind her trying to keep up.

There was some people still out and gave her glares. Sakura sighed and kept walking and opened her gate, let the cub in, and then shut it behind her. This time, she walked up the steps to the porch of the 2 story house and opened the door. She kept it open as she got the giant tub beside the fireplace and moved it into the fire place before pouring both buckets in it. Then she went back outside and gathered some firewood against the side of her house and placed them under the pot and lit them. It took a while but a good sized fire started to blaze under it. She looked down at the pup and her kitchen as her stomach growled. Walking into the kitchen area she didn't have much bread but she had a lot of vegetables. It didn't take her long for her to decide to go get another bucket of water for dinner.

After she got back from the well for the third time the water in the tub had a rolling boil. She set the bucket down and put on a pair of thick protective gloves before she dragged the it out of the fireplace. She went back to the kitchen and grabbed a jar of dried white and bright purple flowers and put some in the boiling water. Then she went back to the kitchen and grabbed a small cast iron pot and hung it over the fire place and poured some of the water from the bucket in it. Then she went out and walked to the smoke house where she grabbed a good chunk of the hind flank that she just put in there.

Walking back to the house she could see the smoke leaving her chimney as the temperature started to drop with the sun. When she opened the door the scent of jasmine and lilac filled the air from the steaming water. She looked around for the cub and saw him lying down before the fireplace. Then walked to her kitchen and cut off a good portion of the flank and set it to the side then she cut the rest of the meat into pieces and went over and placed them in the pot over the fire place as the water started to form bubbles at the bottom. This action caused the pup to sit up and watch her as she went back to the kitchen and cut up an onion and carrots. She went over and placed them in the pot as well with the meat. Then she looked in her cabinets and grabbed two jars. One filled with salt and the other filled with pepper before heading back to the boiling water and put in a few pinches of each before setting the jars down.

By now the sun had already set and darkness was spreading over her yard. She jogged up the stairs to her second floor and went in the largest room on the right. She opened a large cedar truck that was at the foot of a large plush looking bed covering in a variety of fur blankets and large fluffy pillows.

In the trunk she pulled out a large white tunic and cream colored lacy panties and a bar of rosemary and lemon soap and a large thick cloth to use to dry off with before closing it and returning downstairs.

She set the clothing down on her old worn couch before making sure her door was locked. She first took off her boots then she undid her belt and slid her chaps off as well as her leggings too. Her tunic went to just above her thighs as she reached her fingers under the hem and pulled it over her head.

Now all she was left in was binding around her breasts and cream colored laced panties that was shear in some places. First she unwrapped her chest binding to reveal her plump, round breast and then slowly slid her panties down. She shivered some as the chill air somehow reached her causing goose bumps to form over her body. She looked at the giant pot and saw that the water was still steaming before she slowly lowered herself into it.

Sakura sighed in contempt as the hot water covered her body in its warm embrace before dunking her head down into it to become fully soaked. As her head left the water the smell of jasmine and lilac filled her senses and was comforted by the smell. She grabbed her bar of soap and started to rub it vigorously all over her body and into her hair, making suds all in the water. She could feel the coarseness in the soap from sand to help scrub her body. Placing the soap on the ledge on the pot she dunked again to wash the soap from her hair and body. When she emerged again her skin had a soft pink tint to it. She was pleased that she no longer reeked of dead animals and blood. The water was still warm when she stood up and grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her body before she stepped out and walked toward the fireplace to finish drying off. She took the towel and rubbed it all over her before she started to dry her towel. The heat from the fire making it much easier to dry off and was finished very quickly.

She went over and grabbed the fresh pair of panties and slipped them on. Her tunic was loose and baggy. She looked over at the pup and picked him up, deciding that he should be cleaned as well.

Said pup did not agree and furiously tried to escape the warm water but Sakura kept him in as she covered him in the water before gathering her soap again and scrubbed him to where he was no longer grey but a fluffy white. The pup tried to intimidate her by growling but Sakura only laughed as she rinsed him off good and plucked him from the pot and wrapped her towel around him. She walked over and sat on her couch near the fire place and rubbed him dry then sat him down. He was still slightly damp and as soon as his paws touched the floor he shook vigorously as if he could shake all the water from his form before walking over the fire and pouting as he sat there. His nose twitching constantly as he stared up at the small pot hanging in the fireplace as a delicious scent wafted from it. The water in it already turned brown and thick from the stew.

Sakura walking into her kitchen and grabbed a large wooden spoon and went to stir it. Her stomach grumbled as this caused it to put off more great smelling aromas. Deciding that it was finished the put on gloves again before grabbing an iron rod and using it to swing the pot from the fire place. She carefully grabbed the handle of the pot before setting in the small table in front of the couch. Then she went into the kitchen and grabbed 2 bowls and the rest of the bread she had left. She placed them on the table and went back into the kitchen to grab the hunk of meat she had set to the side ad well as the bucket with the left over water and went back toward the fire place.

She filled one bowl with the water and set it on the floor and the pup immediately went to it and drank heavily, almost empting the bowl. Then she gave him the meat and watched as he tore into it. She sat and watched him eat for a bit letting the stew cool down some. Then she scooped a good amount into her bowl and broke off some bread, deciding to save the rest for the morning. She dipped the bread into her stew and soaked it before taking a bite of it. Her stomach growled happily as she started to eat, finishing off the bread she started to eat on the stew. Its thick rich taste went well with the gamey taste from the deer. She snuggled into the couch as she ate. The pup managed to get on the couch after many failed attempts at jumping up there, and lay down next to her and yawned.

Sakura had savored her stew, after her long day's work she was starving and knew that if she gobbled it up quickly she would hurt. She was halfway finished when she started to get goose bumps. Sakura had a bad feeling that she couldn't shake off but dismissed it to the back of her mind as she finished off her food. She set the now empty bowl on the table and sat back, petting the cub.

Sakura sighed as it was time for bed so he placed the lid on the pot, keeping it good for the morning, and put everything in her kitchen, promising to straighten it up in the morning. She looked at the large bathing pot before she went to open the door and pulled it outside on her porch and dumped it out on the ground. She then hurriedly dragged it back inside her warm house and the chilled night air only made her bad feeling grow more, as if she was being watched from afar. She placed one more log in the fire place for the night and went to the kitchen to grab a glass and filled it with water from the now almost empty bucket and drained the glass. Sakura wiped her mouth and set the glass down. Her emerald eyes looking out a window in her kitchen that showed only darkness. She felt the pup beside her and she looked down at it and saw it looking up at her sleepily.

Sakura smiled and reached down to pick him up and held him close to her as she walked up the stairs to her room and pulled back some pelts before setting the pup down in them and laying down herself. She covered herself up with the pelts as the cub snuggled closely to Sakura under them and they both promptly fell asleep. Both un-aware of the danger that was lurking outside.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The suns morning rays shone in through a window in the pinkettes room, casting its warming rays over her sleeping face causing her eyes to flutter open tiredly. She sat up carefully and stretched, groaning as she did. She pushed away the pelts and found the cub fashioned to her side still curled in a ball in a deep slumber. Sakura smiled at him and gently ran her fingers through his coat. She chuckled when his stubby legs stretched out and you could see his tummy as he did.

Deciding that she was in bed long enough she got up and opened her trunk again and pulled out her brush and carefully brushed the tangles from her long wavy locks. She went through the trunk and pulled out a form fitting black tunic with other dark green leggings with a matching green cloth belt.

After she set her brush down on the bed she tugged her long shirt over her head. Her toned skin glowing healthily with the suns rays. She grabbed her chest bindings and again wrapped her breasts then pulled on the black tunic. Its cloth fitting perfectly against to her form and its long sleeves slightly loose at the wrist. She then grabbed her leggings and tugged them on and then wrapped the belt around her waist and finally her black boots. In the draw of a small table with candles all on it near her bed, she pulled out a small leather pouch that jangled at the slightest movement.

Pulling the pouch open she counted how much coins she had. _'38 gold pieces and 74 copper… Need to go to the market and sell some of my wares.'_ She though with a smirk. The people in this village may dislike her but they sure love the meat and hides she sells.

She looked over her shoulder and saw the cub was sitting up and watching her curiously with sleep still showing in his eyes. Sakura smiled and rubbed his head. " I think I'm going to name you.. Areno*. Because I found you in the deep woods." Sakura said and smiled down at him before tucking the leather pouch into her belt and wrapping its ties around it so it doesn't fall. She turned around and left her room and went down stairs as Areno scrambled down off the bed and ran after her. The air was still a bit chilly but it was only early morning.

'_Today is the day when the venders set up shop down in the square. If I plan on getting a good spot I will have to hurry.'_ She thought as she went to the small barn and greeted her horse.

"Hello Asora, I hope you had a good nights rest. Today I'll need you to haul a lot. Are you up for it?" she said softly as she patted Asora's cheek, her white fur shining brightly as she sun shone through. Sakura placed her bit on and then saddled her before leading her out to the side were she has a large covered wagon. She situated the horse where she was strapped into the harness to lead the wagon around. Sakura grabbed the reins and started walking to the smoke house and tanning huts with the horse following behind her and Areno staying far away from the wheels as he followed behind.

She went into the smoke house and looked around. She went to the far side and grabbed a lot of dried deer jerky from the strings hanging up and wrapped them in parchment. She did this several times and then carried 4 large containers of parchment filled with jerky. Then she went back in and on the opposite wall took down different deer meat and wrapped each up in the parchment. Setting those in the wagon she then proceeded to wrap all the wild hog meat she had. Figuring she had enough meet she left and locked the door then went over to the tanning hut and grabbed a lot of raw leather. She had two piles in the wagon when she heard Naruto banging on the gate.

Sakura jogged over to it to let him in and deftly avoided the hug before jogging back over and putting in all the pelts she had. Being careful with each one. Naruto looked in the wagon and whistled at the amount that was in it before helping Sakura with the pelts. She had a lot of rabbit and a few wolves, 2 bears, black and brown, and some foxes here and there.

With everything loaded in Sakura bent down and scooped up her pup and set him in the wagon before taking the reins and leading her horse from the area. Naruto quickly shutting the gate behind them and followed closely. He never liked how some of the guys watched her when she set up shop. In no time they made it to the square in the middle of town and pick a spot closest to the road they just came from. She tied her horse's reins to a post before walking to the wagon and unhooking the clasp that kept the covered part up. She took it down and climbed in and started organizing her stuff. She placed the pelts and leather in the back, each in their own respective piles. Then she laid out the packs of meat, and of her deer jerky she tore a package open and ate a piece, offering Naruto and the pup some as well.

~!~!~!~!~~!~!

It had been slow at first, the cold morning air keeping most of the people in their house and the Nobles in the Inns. Not many nobles even live here, they prefer the larger village further away, but they flock here on certain days to buy stuff from our market.

Right as the sun was high in the sky, a large woman sauntered forward towards us. She leaned against the wagon and gave Naruto a look that had him shiver in disgusted. Sakura frowned at the woman. You could tell she was a noble from what she wore, and Sakura knew that she thought this was Naruto's stall, its unheard of for a woman to hunt. So she was going to try and sweet talk Naruto from the prices eh, Sakura smirked before walking in front of the woman, blocking her view of Naruto. The woman glared at her.

Sakura just smiled down at her sweetly, " Can I help you with anything miss?" she asked. The lady looked at her then scanned the wagon and her eyes landed on the wolf pup. She squealed before trying to reach over and grab it but Sakura picked him up. "Sorry, Areno ISN'T for sell. But you're welcome to buy some of my pelts or meat." She said, clutching the pup to her chest as the woman pouted then looked back at Naruto, thinking he would just give the pup to her. Naruto just shrugged and shook his head.

The woman just huffed and walked away, but not before giving Sakura one last glare. Sakura just smiled and Naruto sweat dropped. "God, what is it with the ladies? They think that a man will just give them what they want." Naruto grumbled to himself.

"SAAAAAKUURRRAAAAAA!" Sakura and Naruto both turned around to see an angry blonde marching over to them. Areno flattened his ears as she approached.

"Uh.. Hi Ino.. How are you?" Naruto asked while he scratched his head. Ino ignored him and glared at Sakura before looking at the pup in her arms.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me you found a little cutie!" Ino said as she grabbed the pup and hugged him to her chest. Areno tried to escape her clutches but her grip was iron hard. Sakura bent down and grabbed the pup from her, remembering the time she brought the blonde a bunny for her birthday. Sakura sweat dropped as she blonde was so excited that she hugged the poor thing to death. '_We buried it the next day..'_ She thought.

Sakura turned around to glare at Naruto who put his hands in the air defensively. "Hey! I didn't tell her! I swear!" Sakura turned back to Ino when she asked her a question.

"I'm sorry, what?" Sakura asked. Ino looked like she was about to throttle her for ignoring her.

"I said, when did you get him?" Ino asked her, while still eye balling the pup. Areno squirmed in Sakura's hold so she set him down on the pelts.

"I found him yesterday while hunting. His mother was in one of my traps.." she spoke the last part softly and looked down at the wolf. Ino watched her for a bit before breaking the silence.

"Well, What I want to know is, just when do I get to keep him for a night?" she asked seriously. Sakura gaped at her and Naruto fell backwards in his seat.

"Uh, Ino, I hate to tell you this but… You're not." Sakura said slowly. Ino looked upset before sniffing and crossing her arms.

"Good, I didn't want to anyways!" she said. Naruto laughed.

It had been a long day, Sakura managed to sell all of her pelts and most of her leather and almost all of her meat. Her coin bag was thrice its original size as she held it in her hand. She sat in her horses saddle sideways as Naruto was busy putting the top back on her wagon. When he was done she smiled at him and gave him a handful of coins for him helping her today. His eyes widened before he hugged her and smiled. "Thanks Sakura." He said and hugged her again. Sakura smiled and hugged him back before removing herself from him.

"Go on Naruto, I know Hinata is probably wondering where you are." She said with a wink she looked down at the horse's feet and saw the cub sitting down and looking up at them. As Naruto left she bent down and grabbed him before hopping back into the saddle and, holding on to him with one arm, grabbed the reins and motioned the horse to start walking back home.

After putting her horse in the barn and placing her left over goods inside her house she grabbed a large basket and walked to the gate. Areno still following her around. It was getting late and it wouldn't be long till the sun set but Sakura walked back to the square to go to the bakery. There she bought 2 large loafs of bread and some flour. After getting the bread wrapped up she placed her items in her basket and then went to the venders that were selling their vegetables. She bought a cabbage head from one vender and the other she bought more onions, potatoes and turnips. She glanced down and saw the cub was lying down, tired. She smiled at him before leaning down and picking him up and snuggling him to her chest. Areno yawned and laid his muzzle on her shoulder. She lady she just bought the vegetables from glared at the cub and Sakura glared back at her before walking away.

As she started on her way home, her attention was caught buy this traveling merchant who was selling jewelry, but what caught her eye was these two necklaces encased in a glass case. One was made of lather and wolf teeth, it was small and would fit perfectly around her neck, while the other was a shining white, circular opal at looked like a full moon on a long silver chain. The merchant noticed her looking and smiled, then noticed the pup in her arms and smirked.

"So, I see the Lupus Allure has drawn your eye. And it's no wonder, what with you already holding one." He said as he carefully picked up both necklaces from the case and set them out where she could examine them more closely. The leather necklace had 3 stands, with a large giant fang in the center and then three levels of long, white bone beads* (check below for a link). While the other was a long shining silver chain with a circular, 1 inch long white opal that hung at the bottom. She carefully picked the bone choker up and examined it while the shining opal shone in Areno's eyes and he leaned over to nose it.

The merchant laughed at the pups antics causing Sakura to look up at him questionably. The man cleared his throat before pointing to the cub. "He is quite the curious thing. Although it's only natural." He said. Sakura raised her eyebrow in a silent question. The man smirked before taking the fang choker from her and holding it up. "This, my dear, is the fang of the Great Dire Wolf Aatu*, of the Aino Mountain*. There are only 4 of these necklaces made, and these beads are made from his bones." The man indicated to the long white beads on the side of the fang. "I have never once agreed to sell this in all the 47 year's it's been in my possession. This necklace is known to have the power to protect you from natural wolves. Aatu was known for his great size, he was the king of wolves you could say, for every wolf obeyed his command. With this, you too can command the natural wolves of this forest, if your bond continues to grow with the little one in your arms." He looked back down at the cub that fell asleep snuggled to her.

Sakura looked away from the necklace to her Areno and smiled as her arm reached up and rubbed his head. The man placed the necklace close to her on his stand and pushed it towards her. "You may have it. I can sense you have a good heart about you. And I see the love and affection you have for him, and I also see his love for you. I can trust that you will use the necklace wisely. But, for the sake of my health from my wife, I must ask you to buy the other, for they are a pair." He picked up the opal of the necklace and gently stroked it. "This stone was embedded with the powers of Aatu human companion, Ainodake, for whom the mountain was named after. She had a pure heart and soul, and Aatu loved her. He protected her from others who wished her harm and in return she guarded the mountain which they called their home. This stone here will allow you to see perfectly in the darkest of night, and it allows you ease in transformation if you ever took on a different form."

"A different form?" Sakura asked curiously, not noticing how dark it was getting as the sun was setting. The man smiled at her before continuing.

"Yes, legend says that Ainodake could switch between her human self and the form of a great wolf. She herself even wore this pendant and it never once broke or got destroyed from each transformation, as if protected by an unseen force. In fact, she made the fang necklaces for her 4 children when Aatu died protecting her. Some say this necklace gave her the power to transform into the shape of her love, and others say that Auto was a were(were-wolf, for those who didn't know the abbreviation) that was stuck in his animalistic form and bitten her." He finished holding it out to her.

"If what you say is true, then why would you sell such a thing to me?" she questioned, searching his face. The man smiled, the action causing his eyes to crinkle.

"The answer is very simple my dear… I am a descendant of Ainodake, but her gifts only worked for the females of her line. I, unfortunately, am the only male ever born of her line. But I can still sense the good in others as she could. And I know that this is meant to be with you. Please, use these well." He said. Sakura was speechless but nodded her head. She bent down to set down her basket and hoisted Areno to her left hip and held on to him with her left arm as she untied her coin pouch from her belt. She pulled out 27 gold pieces and the man's eyes bulged slightly before shaking his head.

"No, that is way too much. I cannot accept that from you." He pushed the coins back to her but was surprised when she pushed it back towards him.

"Trust me, this is nowhere near enough for these from what you have told me. Please, take these." She pushed them closer to him again and he sighed.

"Thank you. I wish you a good night." He told her after handing her the necklaces. She laid down Areno on his counter and he just smiled down at the sleeping pup. She looked at the leather choker and brought it up to her neck and tied it around her where it wouldn't fall off, then she gently grabbed the chain of the opal and slipped it over her head. The chain was so long that the opal rested beneath her breast against her flat stomach. She looked down and grabbed the opal and looked at it. Its white color shined in the darkness. She picked it up and placed it inside her shirt where it rested against her flesh. She was mildly surprised that it gave off a warm feeling. She smiled at him before carefully picking her cub back up and bent down to grab her basket after tying her coin pouch back to her belt. She flashed the merchant a warm smile and waved good bye. He waved back and watched as she left.

As she left the merchant she noticed it was getting darker and darker by the second, but it was starting to get easier to see. She was surprised even when she remembers he said it would help her see clearly in the dark. She looked around at the different houses, their occupants safely indoors. She held Areno closer to her as she saw a tall, long haired blonde leaning against her fence to her home he wore black long pants with a loose white button up shirt with the top buttons undone, and with the pendants power she could clearly see his muscled pale chest. His long blonde hair was pulling into a high pony tail and his blue eyes watched her with a strange intensity. She cursed under her breathe as she recognized him from the Akatsuki that was at the well the other day. He smirked at her as he stood with his arms closed over his chest. She stopped 5 feet in front of her gate, which he was leaning against.

"Mind moving from my property?" she said as calmly as she could. She saw as his smirk got bigger and could see his nose flare as he sniffed the air before focusing back on her with a grin. _'Okay.. What the fuck?'_ she thought as she took a step back only to watch him take another step forward.

Areno, sensing something was wrong lifted his tired head and looked up at Sakura then in front of her where she was looking and growled. The blonde shifted his eyes down at the cub and continued to smirk before taking another step towards Sakura. Sakura took another step back but reached down to her boot and pulled out her knife and held it in front of her protectively.

"Get away from me Akatsuki. Now." She ground out, glaring at him as she stopped in his advances and stared at her, a crazed look in his eyes still.

"Well, I guess you must always carry that thing with you, yeah." He spoke softly, the hair on the back of her neck rose as his tenor voice reached her ears and Areno just flattened his to his head. As if sensing her discomfort he took another step toward her. "What's wrong blossom? Don't know what to do when a man approaches you?" he grinned and stepped even closer to her.

Sakura's eyes widen and she yelled in anger at him before dropping her basket and throwing her knife at him. It sliced him on the arm and he snarled at her before leaping towards her, knocking Areno away from her as he pinned her to the cold ground. She struggled under him, kicking and trying to free her arms. The blonde smirked at her as he held her tighter. He leaned down and sniffed her neck. She just struggled more with him which caused him to chuckle against her neck, his warm breath fanning over her skin. Sakura shivered as she felt his tongue taste her skin. She gasped and opened her mouth to scream when the blonde suddenly bit down on her shoulder, easily drawing blood.

Her scream died in her throat and her eyes watered as she bucked her hips to throw him off as his tongue lapped at the blood. Jumping off of her, she quickly sat up and reached her arm around her back and up her shirt and grabbed a knife that was hidden in her bindings, then she lounged forward with the knife in her hand ready to kill the ass hole. He smirked down at her, crimson blood dripping off his chin and staining his white shirt. He sidestepped her attack and when she turned to him, he was gone.

A frustrated scream tore through the air and she threw her knife in the basket that spilled over, picking up its contents she looked around for her pup and saw him huddled in a dark bush. Her anger faded immediately when she looked at him. She bent down and held him close to her and pressed her face in his fur. Areno licked her shoulder gently and moved away from the sting that went through her body from that. "Ow.. Let's get home… I'm starting to get pretty dizzy Areno.." she mumbled as she stood back up with both the basket and the pup. As she stumbled to her gate she dislodged her knife from the fence and opened her gate and walked in, locked it, and stumbled up her stairs into her dark house.

Once she shut the door she dropped her basket to the floor and set Areno down as she leaned against the door, her head swimming and the room spinning. She shuffled her way to her couch and fell on it, her body weak from blood lost. She looked down and saw her pup looking up at her worriedly before she lost conscious, not even noticing her shoulder was starting to heal itself already.

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Areno* = means the Deep Woods

The fang choker looks similarly like this, only it has a giant fang in the middle instead of this bead, and the long beads are solid white  
pm for link

Aatu* = means Noble wolf

Aino Mountain* = an actual mountain in japan, very beautiful.  
pm for link

Ainodake* = the actual full name of the mountain, but I wanted the mountain to be named after the lady soo.. yeah xD

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At first this chapter was really slow, but when i finally got to the part where she saw the necklaces it just started flowing from my finger tips.

Hope you all like, and also, sorry for any mistakes, I do not have a Beta soo... yeah xD


	3. Chapter 3

I'm so sorry It took so long :( I was having trouble writing the moving scene and then going to work and dealing with a 5 yrd. But i decided to post it as is ;) I hope you guys like it and once again, I am soooo sorry for the wait D:

**Big thanks to those who reviewed:  
pein's naughty girl, TheEmoChick, Held Together With Tape, Just A Friend (Guest), Greawenn, heFireBreathingCatastrophe, MidnightCloud2000, GamerGirl404.  
**

I love how you guys like my story :) BUUUUUT... the reviews seem to be a bit lacking compared to how many people have beene reading this. I got 9 reviews ( one was from a guest) and for the next chapter... I'm looking for atleast 13 ;)

Think you guys can do this?

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Chapter 3

With a startled gasp, her emerald eyes snapped open and she quickly sat up, but hissed as pain erupted from her shoulder. She brought her hand up to her left shoulder and gripped it, pain throbbing from it. She looked down and saw Areno sitting up on her legs, his large eyes looking at her with worry.

"I am fine… Don't worry about me." She whispered and rubbed his head. Looking down at him, she saw her shirt was darker than normal from the corner of her eyes. Grabbing at her shirt she pulled to where she could see it more clearly and her eyes widened. Her shirt was crusted over with what looked like dried blood. She hurriedly got off the couch and ran upstairs to her room.

Falling to her knee's at her trunk she dug through it till she found a relatively large mirror that fit in her palms. Looking through it to her neck, she saw that her once porcelain skin was stained dark red. Tugging down her shirt she revealed her left shoulder, expecting to see a gaping wound but instead was met with an angry pink fresh scar that took up almost her entire front shoulder. She reached up and tenderly touched it, amazed that it was healed but yet it still hurt as if it was a fresh wound. She pulled away and looked down at her hands that were resting against her thighs.

_~She saw a tall, long haired blonde leaning against her fence to her home he wore black long pants with a loose white button up shirt with the top buttons undone, and with the pendants power she could clearly see his muscled pale chest. His long blonde hair was pulling into a high pony tail and his blue eyes watched her with a strange intensity. ~_

Sakura ground her teeth, not noticing Areno had sat down beside her.

_~"Get away from me Akatsuki. Now." She ground out, glaring at him as she stopped in his advances and stared at her, a crazed look in his eyes still._

"_Well, I guess you must always carry that thing with you, yeah." He spoke softly. ~_

She clenched her fists together painfully. Her nails biting into the flesh of her palm.

_~throwing her knife at him. It sliced him on the arm and he snarled at her before leaping towards her, knocking Areno away from her as he pinned her to the cold ground._

_She gasped and opened her mouth to scream when the blonde suddenly bit down on her shoulder, easily drawing blood_

_He smirked down at her, crimson blood dripping off his chin and staining his white shirt.~_

She surprised herself when she heard a loud growl. She looked down at Areno and realized that it had come from her. Worried, she put the mirror back and got up and grabbed her thick grey fur cloak. After clasping it around her, she made sure it covered her bloodied shirt and neck. Walking back down stairs she started a fire in the fire place and then walked to the front door and grabbed the 2 buckets there.

'_I need to bathe… now'_ she thought as she left the house in a brisk walk to the well in town. Silently cursing herself for not living closely to it. She thought she heard Naruto but ignored it. All she wanted now was to clean herself of all this blood. As she got to the well she couldn't help but notice that it was strangely quiet and empty. No one was outside, no dogs barking. She quietly filled both her buckets and walked back to her home. Shivering slightly when a breeze blew by.

'_I can't help but feel like someone is watching me…'_ she though as she opened her gate. Not looking down at the blood soaked ground. She walked back up into her house and was greeted by Areno who stayed behind. She poured both buckets into her large bathing pot and dragged it into the fire to boil.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SOMEWHERE ELSE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A loud snarl rang through a large house. "What do you mean you bit her? You were only supposed to intimidate and make her submissive. NOT BITE." An orange haired male yelled out at the blonde. Said blonde flinched at his leaders words. The orange haired male growled out loud and glared at the blonde. "Explain yourself Deidara. Now." He said lowly.

The blonde, Deidara, looked down. He was still wearing his shirt from last night. "It started out that way Leader." He said, his eyes trailing along the dark trail of blood. The leader growled as he was losing his patience causing Deidara to glance up at him. "I followed her all day, and when she was going home finally something was different…" He trailed off. The orange haired man tilted his head to him as if silently telling him to continue. "My beast was getting restless watching her. So I waited for her at her gate ya know. Something about her scent slightly changed, it's like... it was calling out to my beast. Then the next thing I knew I had her blood in my mouth. I left after that though... I didn't fully change her leader. I swear. I only bit her…" he said, looking up into the grey eyes of the orange haired man.

"Damn you Deidara. This is going to make us have to rush things then. You may not have fully changed her but she is already turned. She just can't transform unless we, the head of this pack, transform her." He growled out. Off behind him in the shadows Deidara saw the glowing red eyes of the second leader just staring him down. Deidara quickly lowered his eyes.

"Deidara." The deep voice of the red eyed leader reached his ears. "You have caused this problem for us. So it will be you who will watch her at all times, and bring her to us when the time comes." Deidara's eyes widened and opened his mouth to protest but were quickly silenced with a look from the orange haired man.

"Yes.. Madara." Deidara said as Madara walked out of the shadows. His red eyes menacing as he watched his blonde haired member retreat. Once it was just him and the other man was left alone. He looked over at him with a small smirk playing on his lips.

"Well Pein. I do think we will finally have a female in our pack. Don't you agree?" he said with a smirk. Pein, the orange haired male, glared over at him.

"I guess we will. Damn that boy has no control." He cursed as he turned around and paced. The two spending most of the day wondering what this new addition to their pack will be like, and how much trouble their men will be.

After she bathed and dressed in her dark forest green sleeveless tunic and matching green leggings. She then pulled on her black leather chaps and vest that hugged her form comfortably. Tugging on her black boots she made sure to slip a knife into each before hiding more in her vest. Then she walked to a hook that was on the wall and put on her black silk hooded cloak, then followed with her normal wolf fur cloak. Shouldering her quiver and grabbing her bow. Her cloak kept her shoulder hidden and her new leather necklace was tied against her neck, also hiding it some. The opal shone brightly with the sun shining from her window against the dark green of her tunic. At the sound of claws scratching on the floor she looked down to see her pup sitting in front of her looking up at her.

Sakura smiled and reach down to pet him before heading down the stairs. Areno followed closely behind as she went outside to the horse stable and saddled her white horse. Walking the horse to the gate, she lead both her and Areno out with Asora and shut the gate. Bending down, she scooped him up in her arms and got in the saddle. Holding on to him so he didn't fall, Areno sat in the saddle with her, facing forward and looking around. Sakura guided Asora to the middle of town and stopped in front of a small two story home with a picture of a medicine jar painted on it.

She dismounted Asora and tied her reins to a post. She then grabbed Areno and walked inside. Upon entering the building, it was fairly empty of life. Smirking to herself, she walked up the stairs in the far right corner of the room. She found a smaller bedroom and saw an older blonde woman sitting at a desk, Sakura could hear the grinding from the mortar and pestle from the doorway. With silent steps Sakura walked over to her and stood behind her.

"Oh Tsunade, All work and no sleep?" she said in a light voice, you could hear the smile on her face. Tsunade jumped and almost knocked the mortar over and cursed.

"Damn it Sakura! What have I told you about sneaking up on me?" Tsunade said as she turned around to face the girl she thought of as a daughter, but instead of Sakura, Tsunade came face to face with a small furry face then, upon inspecting Sakura's new transformation, was suddenly licked in the middle of her face. "Gah! Damn it Sakura." Tsunade cursed again, this time looking up when she heard Sakura's giggles.

"Tsunade, this is my pup Areno." She told her as she held out the pup for further inspection. Tsunade gently took the pup and held him; Areno flattened his ears at the thought of being held by another person. Tsunade squealed and hugged him to her chest, effectively burying him in her chest. The poor pup yelped as he was engulfed by her breasts.

Sakura laughed and grabbed a chair and brought it over to Tsunade and then rescued her pup that clung to her. "Tsunade, there is something I need to ask of you… And it is very important." Sakura spoke with a serious voice. Tsunade looked at her daughter and nodded her head, telling her to continue. "I want to leave to confines of the village… I... I would feel much safer in your home in the woods. You can have my home if you want to trade. Please Tsunade." Sakura asked sadly. Tsunade looked into Sakura's eyes.

'_What happened to make you want to leave Sakura…?'_ Tsunade thought to herself, and then her eyes found a bright pink area barely showing on the side of her neck, the color of fresh skin and Tsunade paled a bit. "Of course Sakura. When do you want to start moving?" Tsunade asked as she turned around and started to grind the herbs in her mortar.

"Well, if it is no trouble, I would like to start today Tsunade…" Sakura said slowly, watching Tsunade carefully. Tsunade tensed slightly but then relaxed once she remembers the fresh scar on her daughter's neck.

"Well if that is the case," Tsunade started as she turned back around and stood up to go to a drawer and pulled out a set of keys and handed them to Sakura, "then you are going to need these then. I trust you remember which goes to where?" Tsunade asked. Sakura smiled and nodded her head as Areno leaned in closely to the keys and sniffed them.

"Oh thank you Tsunade, thank you very much." Sakura jumped up and hugged her tightly; Tsunade hugged her back and smiled.

"Now Sakura, you need any help?" Tsunade asked her. Sakura just shook her head and smiled

"No thanks Tsunade. I got Naruto to help." She said. She looked out the window and saw that it wouldn't be long until others start waking up. "I had better go before everyone wakes up. Less trouble that way." Sakura hugged Tsunade again before pocketing the keys and turning around to go down the stairs. Once she was outside she untied Asora's reins and mounted her then started a trot back to her home. When she was almost there she turned suddenly to the right and followed a worn trail to a smaller home. She saw Naruto outside splitting some firewood.

"Hey Naruto. I need your help today. And maybe tomorrow as well…" Sakura started. This caused Naruto to look at her curiously.

"What is it Sakura?" Naruto asked as he set down his axe and sat down on the large stump beside him. At this moment a petite blue haired female came out of the house. She was startled when she saw Sakura.

"Oh he-hello Sakura. How are y-you?" she stammered. Sakura smiled as she saw the young woman.

"Hey Hinata, I am fine. Thank you. Although, I'm afraid I really need to borrow Naruto for a while. It's important." She said softly, Sakura still has the feeling someone is watching. Naruto looked over at her curiously before putting the axe away. Don't worry though Hinata. I'll have your man back long before dark." Sakura said with a wink, causing both people to turn multiple shades of red causing Sakura to laugh.

With Naruto in tow, Sakura walked back to her home, leading Asora as did. Areno was happily hopping around their legs and yapping. Naruto came up to Sakura, a weird look in his face, "So Sakura… What is it that you need me for?" He asked curiously.

Sakura looked over at him before replying. "I need your help. I'm moving. Today, and I want to be fully moved in before tonight. So I will need you to go get your horse and trailer… Please Naruto." She added when she saw he was about to protest.

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Please Review :D

Also, if you guys have any questions, Do not hesitate to PM me ^^


	4. Chapter 4

( A/N )

Unfortunately, I believe I will just keep doing my stories on my own. How I like them, and honestly, if you guys do not like how I am doing things then please, by all means, stop reading. STOP telling me to get a beta, or to try and find a beta. I have had Beta's. They are my beta for maybe a week. and then they just stop sending me anything, or just stop replying to anything I send. The last I heard from my last beta was months ago.

And one of my beta's I tried, I thought something might have just happened to her. But no. I just read a story only to see a 'special thanks to' So I will no longer look for a beta. If you want to be my beta, then message me. Others wise, please stop 'informing me' of getting a beta because I will not tolerate the 'cold shoulder' or going cold turkey on me when I am seriously needing help before posting a story or a chapter.

:3

Ja Ne

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After dropping Naruto at Hinata's, she went back home and got the last of her belongings. The trunk that was at the foot of her bed with all her clothing and items in it. He blankets and pelts, and all her kitchen items. As she left her home for a final time, she lead Asora through the town. Decided to go ahead and buying supplies ahead of time since she will not be living here anymore.

Stopping at the stall where she bought her veggitables the night before, sakura bought 2 more heads of cabbage, a large sack of potatoes. And some seeds for her to grow her own garden. Then she stopped at the spice store where she purchased more salt and pepper, garlic, and other such spices that she would normally not buy because of the prices.

She stopped at Tsunade's on her way to the village gate. There she hugged her mother figure tightly before giving her the key to her home. "Here, you can live there if you would like. I have no more need for it now." She said with another hug. Sakura then went back down stairs where Tsunade's shop was held. And grabbed a bunch of bandages, healing powder, dehydrated roots and herbs. Bottles and vials of salve and other liquids. Tsunda raised an eye brow and looked at her funny.

Sakura just shrugged. " I don't plan to come back for a while, and I just want to be prepaired.. Besides, you and I both know if something happens and I need medical attention, im too far to make here to get help. But don't worry… You trained me well mother." Sakura said with a smile when Tsunade looked at her worriedly. Tsunade hugged her daughter tightly before dissapearring upstairs again, telling sakura she will be right back.

When Tsunade came back down she was carring a largely wrapped item. She smiled sheepishly at sakura before handing it to her. "I was waiting for your birthday to give this to you.. but you can have it now." Sakura looked at the package thoughtfully before carefully unwrapping it. Sakura gasped and looked back up at her mother figure with wide eyes. "I had it made especially for you. It took me 3 seasons to get it paid for. But now it is yours."

Sakura gently picked up the black bow. Its shaft having silver leaf etchings through it. She ran her hand gently down it. "It's made from black Elder." Sakura looked up at Tsunade like she was crazy.

"Black Elder? That's too expensive! Why would you pay for-" Tsunade's hand went up to stop her.

"I did not pay for the wood dear. I paid for them to craft the bow. The wood itself was infact, a gift from you, many seasons ago." Tsunade said. Sakura looked shock as she remembered looking in the deepest part of the forest for days for that tree. Remembering Tsunade saying something about its medical properties would make her rich. Sakura brought her back a large log for tsunades birthday.

"But.. I broug ht you this for your medicins. Not for you to make me something like a spoil child…" Sakura said, confused. Tsunade smiled and led her to a back room filled with shelves of bottles and jars.

"This, my dear, is all the medicin I made with what you brought me. And I still have more than enough of that log for more. This was only a fraction of that log so there was no harm. OH and while we are here,…" Tsunade dropped off what she was saying as she started walking between her shelves. Grabbing random bottles and jars before coming back and giving them to sakura. "Here, these are on the house." She said with a wink. "but don't look at the labels till after you get home.. Okay?" Tsunade asked her. Sakura, confused, nodded her head but walked back to the front where Tsunade pulled out a decorative bag, its black fabric as a back ground to the shimmering clouds around a large red moon. Tsunade procedded to place all the items sakura had on the counter into the bag and sakura handed her the gold for them all.

"Tsunade, where did ou get this bag?" Sakura said as she felt the material. Tsunade grinned.

"oh.. I also had this made for you. I do hope you like it." Tsunade smiled when sakura nodded her head again. After sakura had all her things, Tsunade walked her back to her horse and cart. Sakura gently placed her items in the cart and climbed in and grabbed the reins. Tsunade handed her a large lantern, already lit. Sakura, surprised that it was already dark, gratefully took the lantern.

"Don't worry Tsunade, I'll be back." With that said she had Asora moving. Trotting up to the village main gate she ignored the glares from the watchers and turned left, planning on going to the more dense part of the forest behind the village where she herself have rarely been.

Coming up to the forests edge she felt the familiar creeping darkness that accompanied the forest at all times. After years of being in this aura, Sakura has grown accustomed to the feeling, welcomed it actually. The hair on the back of her neck stood up and she had the distinct feeling that someone was watching her again. Shrugging her shoulders and dismissing it as one of the guards along the walls, she got her horse to a steady pace that was comfortable for everyone. Following a trail that lead into the dark looming trees she stayed on the path for a short distance before veering off to the side into the thicker, denser trees. Weaving her horse to and fro from years of practice, she was moving through at a reasonable pace. Off in the distance, she heard the loud, intimidating howls of the hunting party that was about to take place. Sakura made Asora go more quickly, so as to not find themselves in a bit of trouble.

After about 15 minutes of riding, she was deep in the forest, the crescent moon already high in the sky; she came across a large pond. Leading her horse to it so she can rest she swung off the cart with Areno asleep in the cart. She looked around and saw the large cabin that once belonged to her mother, and now her. The lights in the house on from her and Naruto's last trip here.

She sat down in the grass at the ponds edge, Letting her horse drink her fill. Once she was finished she grabbed the reins and allowed Asora to follow her to the house. The stpes of the porch were old but still very sturdy and thick. She tied asora's reins to the rail and then grabbed an unlit torch and lit it from the lantern before lighting the lanturns hanging up along the porch and side of the house she was at.

Once there was plenty of light, she opened the door and was met with the warn air from the fireplace. She went back to the cart and started unloading it, little by little, just setting it down within the doorway of the home. Once she had everything unloaded, she grabbed Areno and gently carried him inside and layed him on the couch. Then she went back outside, grabbed a lantern, and lead Asora to the small barn next to the house. She unhitched her from the cart, and then placed her in a stall with fresh hay and water filled the trough. The placed a blanket on her precious horse before shutting the barn and walking back to the house. After walking back up the porch, she started to slowly, blow the lanterns out, one by one. When she finished she was about to go in her new home when she heard a branch snap out in the tree line. Instantly she looked over there, the opals pendant allowing her to see as if it was daylight.

She thought she saw a flash of gold disappear into the tree's, but she was uncertain. She slowly turned her head back to the door and went inside, making sure to lock the door securely, along with the windows. She didn't know what that was but she had a bad feeling.

Once inside, she grabbed her spices and put them in the cabinet of the surprisingly large kitchen. Then she did the same with the bread and other vegtibles she had. She was surprised when she first entered the house with Naruto, Tsunade didn't tell me she let her cook ware here. Nor that the kitchen had it's own separate fire place and baker's oven. She went over and grabbed her blankets, she placed two large ones on the top of the couch, and then went to the largest room in the house where, Tsunade had left a ahuge bed that left her bed looking small. She made up the bed comfortably, then she placed the rest of her blankets on her own bed, which was in the other spare room next to the large one. Then she went and grabbed her pelts she sleeps with, and covered both beds with them. She had the majority of ther pillos on her bed, but the rest went to the other room. She went back to the large room that she would be sleeping in and started a fire in that fireplace, amazed at how many this home had.

Once that fire was going nicely, she went into the living room and dragged her bathing tub into her bedroom and placed it in the fire, before going to grab her two large buckets and going back outside. One feature she loved about this house? There was a water pump on the end of the porch, so she never really had to leave the house to get water. She filled both buckets and went back inside and poured them in her tub.

Then she went back into her living room and dragged her large trunk into her bedroom and placed it at the foot of her bed and rummaged through it. She grabbed her large cream tunic that she sleeps in, her brush, and her soap and the cloth she dries with. The placed her tunic on the bed along with her brush. She placed the cloth and soap on a stool near the fire place.

As she waited for the water to boil and get hot, her stomach rumbled loudly and painfully. Looking back towards the doorway, she decided to make use of that fire pit in the kitchen. With a grin Sakura bounded up and headed for the kitchen. She grabbed her small pot that she cooks with and went to her porch to get some water. When she came back she chopped up her turnips and an onion, then she went to her meat that she had yet to put in a shed, she took out a good chunk on hog meat. She chopped that up as well before placing them all in the pot of water. She lit the fire in the kitchen and then placed the pot over the fire.

She sprinkled her salt and pepper, and crushed up garlic to place in there. After stirring it and placing the lid over it, she went back to her room and saw that there was a huge boil going on in the tub. She put on her gloves and dragged it out of the fire. Then she grabbed her jar of dried flowers and sprinkled some in there.

Sakura slowly peeled off her clothing and tossed them on the edge of the bed. Areno had quietly trotted his way into the room and was laying in the middle of her bed, watching her with curious eyes. Once she was stripped of her clothing, Sakura climbed into her tub and immediately sighed in relief as the hot water covered her, turning her skin bright pink from the warmth. She began to immediately scrub her skin to get clean as she could already smell the food in the kitchen. Once she was finished, she stepped out carefully so as to not get water all over her floor. She wrapped her cloth around herself tightly and walked into her kitchen and stirred the pot. She smiled as the aroma even brought Areno in the kitchen. She gave him a good chunk of meat and made sure he still had plenty of water in the small bowl on the floor. She looked out of the window in the kitchen as she moons rays lighting the ground. she couldn't help but feel as if there were eyes on her.

Sakura went back into her room and dried the remaning water from her form and then slipped on her long cream tunic, and her laced panties. Sakura walked back into the kitchen and grabbed her bowl she laid out on the counter. she filled her bowl to the top, her hungery intensified from not eating earlier that day, and tore a hunk of bread. She set the bowl down on the counter and the bread near it as she walked back into her room and grabbed ehr cloth and went back to the front door.

The cloth was damp so she laid it across the railing of her porch. She looked up at the moon, her hand absent mindedly reaching up and rubbing the opal necklace. She could hear the hunting howls of the wolves in the woods around her. Their sounds traveling closer to her clearing. She stood there for a bit longer before turning around and walking back into the house.

She grabbed her bowl of food and went to sit on the couch near the fire place in the living room. She speared the chopped turnips and chewed them thoughtfully, its tender flesh mashing in her mouth before her teath even got to them. The hogs meat had a tangy, wild taste that when bitten into, made her suddenly think of hunting in the early morning. Shaking the thought from her head, she continued eating, Areno got up and walked into the living room as well and continued to eat his meat. She smiled at him, thinking about her plans for tomorrow.

When she finished her bowl she set it down on Tsunade's little fire side table she left in the house. "Areno.. Tomorrow starts your training." She grinned as he looked up at her with his ears perked up at the mention of his name. He tilted his head sideways, as if confused by her decleration of 'training'. She laughed and reached down to pet him, "Well, If you plan on eating my food as well, you're going to help me hunt them down." She said with a smile as the fires flame flickered in and out as the previous log was starting to burn out.

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I just thought this would be a good point in the story to 'stop' -insert evil grin-

Please review for me :(

Reviews make me happy and give me inspiration to write fast for you guys


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